P + 

Pactolus + 

(Pac-toˈlus), river whose sands were changed to gold by Midas. + 

Paeon + 

(Paeˈon), a name for both Apollo and Aesculapius, gods of medicine. + 

Pagans + 

(Paˈgans), heathen. + 

Paladins or peers + 

(Palˈa-dins or peers), knights errant. + 

Palaemon + 

(Pa-laeˈmon), son of Athamas and Ino. + 

Palamedes + 

(Pal-a-meˈdes), messenger sent to call Ulysses to the Trojan War. + 

(Pal-a-meˈdes), Saracen prince at Arthur’s court. + 

Palatine + 

(Palˈa-tine), one of Rome’s Seven Hills. + 

Pales + 

(Paˈles), goddess presiding over cattle and pastures. + 

Palinurus + 

(Pal-i-nuˈrus), faithful steersman of Aeneas. + 

Palladium + 

(Pal-laˈdi-um), properly any image of Pallas Athene, but specially applied to an image at Troy, which was stolen by Ulysses and Diomedes. + 

Pallas + 

(Palˈlas), son of Evander. + 

(Palˈlas A-theˈne (Minerva)). + 

Pamphagus + 

(Pamˈpha-gus), a dog of Diana. + 

Pan + 

(Pan), god of nature and the universe. + 

Panathenaea + 

(Pan-ath-e-naeˈa), festival in honor of Pallas Athene (Minerva). + 

Pandean Pipes + 

(Pan-deˈan Pipes), musical instrument of reeds, made by Pan in memory of Syrinx. + 

Pandora + 

(Pan-doˈra (all-gifted)), first woman, dowered with gifts by every god, yet entrusted with a box she was cautioned not to open; but, curious, she opened it, and out flew all the ills of humanity, leaving behind only Hope, which remained. + 

Pandrasus + 

(Pan-draˈsus), a king in Greece, who persecuted Trojan exiles under Brutus, great-grandson of Aeneas, until they fought, captured him, and, with his daughter Imogen as Brutus’ wife, emigrated to Albion (later called Britain). + 

Panope + 

(Panˈo-pe), plain of. + 

Panthus + 

(Panˈthus), alleged earlier incarnation of Pythagoras. + 

Paphlagonia + 

(Paphˈla-goˈni-a), ancient country in Asia Minor, south of Black Sea. + 

Paphos + 

(Paˈphos), daughter of Pygmalion and Galatea (both of which, see). + 

Parcae + 

(Parˈcae), see Fates. + 

Pariahs + 

(Pa-riˈahs), lowest caste of Hindus. + 

Paris + 

(Parˈis), son of Priam and Hecuba, who eloped with Helen. + 

Parnassian laurel + 

(Par-nas-sian laurel), wreath from Parnassus, crown awarded to successful poets. + 

Parnassus + 

(Par-nasˈsus), mountain near Delphi, sacred to Apollo and the Muses. + 

Parsees + 

(Parˈsees), Persian fire-worshippers (Zoroastrians), of whom there are still thousands in Persia and India. + 

Parthenon + 

(Parˈthe-non), the temple of Athene Parthenos (“the Virgin”) on the Acropolis of Athens. + 

Passebreul + 

(Passe-breulˈ), Tristram’s horse. + 

Patroclus + 

(Pa-troˈclus), friend of Achilles, killed by Hector. + 

Pecheur + 

(Peˈcheur), King, uncle of Perceval. + 

Pegasus + 

(Pegˈa-sus), winged horse, born from the sea-foam and the blood of Medusa. + 

Peleus + 

(Peˈleus), king of the Myrmidons, father of Achilles by Thetis. + 

Pelias + 

(Peˈli-as), usurping uncle of Jason. + 

Pelion + 

(Peˈli-on), mountain. + 

Pelleas + 

(Pelˈle-as), knight of Arthur. + 

Penates + 

(Pe-naˈtes), protective household deities of the Romans. + 

Pendragon + 

(Penˈdrag-on), King of Britain, elder brother of Uther-Pendragon, who succeeded him. + 

Penelope + 

(Pe-nelˈo-pe), wife of Ulysses, who, waiting twenty years for his return from the Trojan War, put off the suitors for her hand by promising to choose one when her weaving was done, but unravelled at night what she had woven by day. + 

Peneus + 

(Pe-neˈus), river god. Or, river. + 

Penthesilea + 

(Pen-the-si-leˈa), queen of Amazons. + 

Pentheus + 

(Penˈthe-us), king of Thebes; having resisted the introduction of the worship of Bacchus into his kingdom, was driven mad by the god. + 

Penus + 

(Peˈnus), Roman house pantry, giving name to the Penates. + 

Pepin + 

(Pepˈin), father of Charlemagne. + 

Peplus + 

(Pepˈlus), sacred robe of Minerva. + 

Perceval + 

(Perˈce-val), a great knight of Arthur. + 

Perdix + 

(Perˈdix), inventor of saw and compasses. + 

Periander + 

(Perˈi-anˈder), King of Corinth, friend of Arion. + 

Periphetes + 

(Per-i-pheˈtes), son of Vulcan, killed by Theseus. + 

Persephone + 

(Per-sephˈo-ne), goddess of vegetation. See Proserpine. + 

Perseus + 

(Perˈseus), son of Jupiter and Danaë, slayer of the Gorgon Medusa, deliverer of Andromeda from a seamonster. + 

Phaeacians + 

(Phae-aˈci-ans), people who entertained Ulysses. + 

Phaedra + 

(Phaeˈdra), faithless and cruel wife of Theseus. + 

Phaëthusa + 

(Pha-ë-thuˈsa), sister of Phaëton. + 

Phaëton + 

(Pha-ë-ton), son of Phoebus, who dared attempt to drive his father’s sun-chariot. + 

Phantasos + 

(Phanˈta-sos), a son of Somnus, bringing strange images to sleeping men. + 

Phaon + 

(Phaˈon), beloved by Sappho. + 

Phelot + 

(Pheˈlot), knight of Wales. + 

Pheredin + 

(Pherˈe-din), friend of Tristram, unhappy lover of Isoude. + 

Phidias + 

(Phidˈi-as), famous Greek sculptor. + 

Philemon + 

(Phi-leˈmon), husband of Baucis. + 

Philoctetes + 

(Phil-oc-teˈtes), warrior who lighted the fatal pyre of Hercules. + 

Philoe + 

(Philˈo-e), burial-place of Osiris. + 

Phineus + 

(Phinˈe-us), betrothed to Andromeda. + 

Phlegethon + 

(Phlegˈe-thon), fiery river of Hades. + 

Phoebe + 

(Phoeˈbe), one of the sisters of Phaëton. + 

Phoebus Apollo + 

(Phoeˈbus (Apollo)), god of music, prophecy, and archery, the sun-god. + 

Phoenix + 

(Phoeˈnix), a messenger to Achilles. Also a miraculous bird, dying in fire by its own act and springing up alive from its own ashes. + 

Phorbas + 

(Phorˈbas), a companion of Aeneas, whose form was assumed by Neptune in luring Palinuras the helmsman from his post. + 

Phryxus + 

(Phryxˈus), brother of Helle. + 

Pinabel + 

(Pinˈa-bel), knight. + 

Pillars of Hercules + 

(Pillars of Hercules), two mountains⁠—Calˈpè, now the Rock of Gibraltar, southwest corner of Spain in Europe, and Abˈy-la, facing it in Africa across the strait. + 

Pindar + 

(Pinˈdar), famous Greek poet. + 

Pindus + 

(Pinˈdus), Grecian mountain. + 

Pirene + 

(Pi-reˈne), celebrated fountain at Corinth. + 

Pirithous + 

(Pi-rithˈo-us), king of the Lapithae in Thessaly, and friend of Theseus, husband of Hippodamia. + 

Pleasure + 

(Pleasure), daughter of Cupid and Psyche. + 

Pleiades + 

(Pleˈia-des), seven of Diana’s nymphs, changed into stars, one being lost. + 

Plenty + 

(Plenty), the Horn of. + 

Plexippus + 

(Plex-ipˈpus), brother of Althea. + 

Pliny + 

(Plinˈy), Roman naturalist. + 

Pluto + 

(Pluˈto), the same as Hades, Dis, etc.; god of the Infernal Regions. + 

Plutus + 

(Pluˈtus), god of wealth. + 

Po + 

(Po), Italian river. + 

Polites + 

(Po-liˈtes), youngest son of Priam of Troy. + 

Pollux + 

(Polˈlux), Castor and (Dioscuri, the Twins). See Castor. + 

Polydectes + 

(Pol-y-decˈtes), king of Seriphus. + 

Polydore + 

(Pol-y-doˈre), slain kinsman of Aeneas; whose blood nourished a bush that bled when broken. + 

Polyhymnia + 

(Pol-y-hymˈni-a), Muse of oratory and sacred song. + 

Polyidus + 

(Po-lyˈi-dus), soothsayer. + 

Polynices + 

(Pol-y-niˈces), King of Thebes. + 

Polyphemus + 

(Pol-y-pheˈmus), giant son of Neptune. + 

Polyxena + 

(Po-lyxˈe-na), daughter of King Priam of Troy. + 

Pomona + 

(Po-moˈna), goddess of fruit-trees. See Vertumnus. + 

Porrex and Ferrex + 

(Porˈrex and Ferˈrex), sons of Leir, King of Britain. + 

Portunus + 

(Por-tuˈnus), Roman name for Palaemon. + 

Poseidon + 

(Po-seiˈdon (Neptune)), ruler of the ocean. + 

Precipice + 

(Precˈi-pice), threshold of Helas hall. + 

Prester John + 

(Presˈter John), a rumored priest or presbyter, a Christian pontiff in Upper Asia, believed in but never found. + 

Priam + 

(Priˈam), king of Troy. + 

Priwen + 

(Priˈwen), Arthur’s shield. + 

Procris + 

(Proˈcris), beloved but jealous wife of Cephalus. + 

Procrustes + 

(Pro-crusˈtes), who seized travellers and bound them on his iron bed, stretching the short ones and cutting short the tall; thus also himself served by Theseus. + 

Proetus + 

(Proeˈtus), jealous of Bellerophon. + 

Prometheus + 

(Pro-meˈtheus), creator of man, who stole fire from heaven for man’s use. + 

Proserpine + 

(Prosˈer-pine), the same as Persephone, goddess of all growing things, daughter of Ceres, carried off by Pluto. + 

Protesilaus + 

(Pro-tes-i-laˈus), slain by Hector the Trojan, allowed by the gods to return for three hours’ talk with his widow Laodomia. + 

Proteus + 

(Proˈteus), the old man of the sea. + 

Prudence Metis + 

(Pruˈdence (Metis)), spouse of Jupiter. + 

Pryderi + 

(Pryˈderi), son of Pwyll. + 

Psyche + 

(Psyˈche), a beautiful maiden, personification of the human soul, sought by Cupid (Love), to whom she responded, lost him by curiosity to see him (as he came to her only by night), but finally through his prayers was made immortal and restored to him; a symbol of immortality. + 

Puranas + 

(Pu-raˈnas), Hindu Scriptures. + 

Pwyll + 

(Pwyll), Prince of Dyved. + 

Pygmalion + 

(Pyg-maˈli-on), sculptor in love with a statue he had made, brought to life by Venus; also brother of Queen Dido. + 

Pygmies + 

(Pygˈmies), nation of dwarfs, at war with the Cranes. + 

Pylades + 

(Pyˈla-des), son of Straphius, friend of Orestes. + 

Pyramus + 

(Pyrˈa-mus), who loved Thisbe, next-door neighbor, and, their parents opposing, they talked through cracks in the house-wall, agreeing to meet in the nearby woods; where Pyramus, finding a bloody veil and thinking Thisbe slain, killed himself, and she, seeing his body, killed herself. (Burlesqued in Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream”). + 

Pyrrha + 

(Pyrˈrha), wife of Deucalion. + 

Pyrrhus Neoptolemus + 

(Pyrˈrhus (Neoptolemus)), son of Achilles. + 

Pythagoras + 

(Py-thagˈo-ras), Greek philosopher (540 BC), who thought numbers to be the essence and principle of all things, and taught transmigration of souls of the dead into new life as human or animal beings. + 

Pythia + 

(Pythˈi-a), priestess of Apollo at Delphi. + 

Python + 

(Pyˈthon), serpent springing from Deluge slum, destroyed by Apollo. + 